Congress is debating main funding payments that may keep away from one other of these phony authorities “shutdowns” now scheduled for January 30. One sticking level is that Democrats need to both defund ICE, or significantly scale back its price range despite the fact that it’s following the legislation in arresting and deporting individuals from different international locations, a few of whom have dedicated crimes whereas right here.
Including nothing constructive to this debate is Mitt Romney, the previous Republican nominee for president in 2012.
In a prolonged letter to the editor of The Wall Road Journal, Romney appears to be channeling Democrats when he writes that he’s effective with tax will increase as a result of “…persevering with so as to add to the nationwide debt at a fee far larger than the expansion of the financial system can’t go on endlessly.” It will probably go on lengthy sufficient to lead to severe penalties if Congress refuses to deal with the primary drawback, which isn’t income, however spending. Romney is on the improper finish of the talk.
The U.S. authorities has been taking in document quantities of income, largely pushed by a surge in tariff collections underneath President Trump’s insurance policies. Complete revenues have reached new highs, exceeding $5 trillion in Fiscal Yr 2025. Particular person revenue taxes have reached document ranges lately, considerably boosting federal coffers. But, the nationwide debt is approaching $39 trillion. Go to USDebtClock.org and see what number of numbers are in purple and rapidly rising.
So whole income has hit new highs, particular person revenue taxes are at document ranges (although down just below President Trump) however the debt retains rising. Increase your hand if you realize why. Sure, it’s as a result of spending retains rising and regardless of efforts by Elon Musk and his DOGE crew, Congress seems unwilling to cut back spending and borrow more cash.
These arguments are acquainted to most people who find themselves paying consideration and care concerning the future, however fewer appear to as a result of so many are receiving authorities advantages. Almost 100 million People – about one-third of the overall inhabitants – obtained some type of authorities help in 2019, based on a 2023 estimate from the Division of Well being and Human Providers. We’ve heard the howls from Democrats and the media when there are solutions to chop something, together with the speed of elevated spending, together with pointless and fraudulent spending.
Human nature tells us that the extra individuals depend on others – on this case authorities – the much less probably they’re to depend on themselves.
On the finish of his letter to the editor of the Journal, Mitt Romney writes, “I’m an incredible deal extra involved about the way forward for the nation than the dimensions of my tax invoice.” If that’s true, Romney needs to be centered on slicing spending and decreasing debt earlier than giving Washington one other dime, whether or not it’s his dime or dimes from the remainder of us.
In an handle to the nation on April 24, 1985, President Ronald Reagan mentioned: “Irrespective of how laborious you’re employed, irrespective of how robust this financial system grows, irrespective of how far more tax cash involves Washington, it received’t quantity to a hill of beans if authorities received’t curb its countless urge for food to spend. Overspending is the topic we should now handle – how budgets bought up to now out of stability and, sure, what collectively we will and should do to appropriate this. … Each greenback the federal government spends comes out of your pockets. Each greenback the federal government provides to somebody has to first be taken away from another person. So, it’s our ethical responsibility to be sure that we will justify each certainly one of your tax {dollars}, that we spend them properly and punctiliously and, simply as vital, pretty.”
Mitt Romney ought to watch Reagan’s handle.
Readers could electronic mail Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Search for Cal Thomas’ newest e-book “A Watchman within the Night time: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).
